Advanced immune testing of blood and nasal samples for viral, allergen, and autoimmune responses
Official title: HIPC U19 Adaptive Immunophenotyping Core
Funded at Benaroya Research Inst at Virginia Mason · NIH-11332437 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses advanced lab tests to look at how immune cells in blood and nasal samples respond to respiratory viruses, allergens, and autoimmune triggers in people at higher risk.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Benaroya Research Inst at Virginia Mason NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | March 29, 2022 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $326,266 |
| NIH project number | 5U19AI167891-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11332437 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with respiratory viral infections, allergic diseases, or rheumatoid arthritis who can provide blood and nasal or sputum samples.
✕Less likely to help
People without respiratory, allergic, or autoimmune conditions, or those unable to provide required samples, are unlikely to benefit directly from this core effort.
What this research studies
If you join, lab experts will run high-dimensional tests on your blood, nasal swabs, and sputum to map immune cells such as B cells and T cells. They will use spectral flow cytometry, antibody barcoding, and activation-induced marker (AIM) assays to find T cells that react to viruses, allergens, or citrullinated autoantigens linked to rheumatoid arthritis. The team will compare these antigen-specific responses side-by-side and share high-quality cellular profiles with the center's data analysis group. Samples come from the center's clinical core and the work supports multiple research projects focused on vulnerable populations with respiratory infections.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal immune patterns that help predict who may get worse infections or point to targets for better treatments and vaccines.
How similar studies have gone: The methods (spectral flow cytometry and AIM assays with antibody barcoding) are established and have helped map immune cells before, though combining them to directly compare allergen, autoantigen, and virus-specific T cells is a newer integrated approach.
Where this research is happening
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Benaroya Research Inst at Virginia Mason
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wambre, Erik — Benaroya Research Inst at Virginia Mason
- Study coordinator: Wambre, Erik
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.